WW1 Shoulder Boards...

[Vix Steel]

Just got these...can anyone help with these? I know the 262 is a unit # or something but what is the smaller board?

Cheers

[C. Roelens]

I believe the monogram is of Emperor Wilhelm II, and above... the Imperial Crown. I have no information on this Regiment.

Chuck

[Mike Dwyer]

The top shoulder board belongs to an enlisted man of 1. Großherzoglich Mecklenburgisches Füsilier-Regiment Kaiser Wilhelm Nr.90 which came from the Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. The regiment was formed on July 12, 1788 and was based primarily in Rostock, except for the II Battalion which was in Wißmar.

[C. Roelens]

The top shoulder board belongs to an enlisted man of 1. Großherzoglich Mecklenburgisches Füsilier-Regiment Kaiser Wilhelm Nr.90 which came from the Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. The regiment was formed on July 12, 1788 and was based primarily in Rostock, except for the II Battalion which was in Wißmar.

Thanks Mike. Are there reference books available to help collectors identify these shoulder boards?

Chuck

[Chip M]

Both straps are M1915s for the Bluse. This pattern was introduced on Sept.21, 1915. Mike has accurately identified the one with the "W". It's a nice unit, but unfortunately, not removed from the tunic very nicely. The second strap is from the Reserve Infantry Regiment Nr. 262. Fairly accurate information regarding the doings of wartime units can be found in the book "251 Divisions of the German Army in the World War". It can also be found on the web as a download for free.

Identifying WWI German shoulder boards is relatively easy. There is no comprehensive site on the web that lays it all out for you, though there are some nice charts reproduced in the Databank of the German Feldgrau forum.

The easiest thing to do is just ask here.

Chip

[Mike Dwyer]

Thanks Mike. Are there reference books available to help collectors identify these shoulder boards?

Chuck

There are references out there. I don't have many, but I used "Imperial German Headgear (1888-1914) Field Guide" by Turinetti and O'Connor to ID the shoulder strap above. It doesn't have any of the newer units formed after 1914, just the older ones. It has a section on every regiment and shows the shoulder straps for those units that had special cyphers.